Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Cruise Ships to Mark Titanic Centenary

Titanic

Daily Mail: This month marks 100 years since tickets went on sale for the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic. Fast-forward a century, and a UK cruise company has also put tickets on sale for a second cruise designed to commemorate the tragedy, after the first sold out almost two years before its departure date.

With the centenary now just under seven months away, it’s safe to say public interest is reaching fever pitch, especially with news that Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes is penning a mini-series to mark the anniversary.

So what better time to launch a second memorial cruise? The Azamara Journey, which can carry 694 passengers, will leave from New York and trace the Titanic’s footsteps in reverse (minus the iceberg collision). It is set to meet the Fred Olsen MC Balmoral cruise ship on the way, which will be following the Titanic’s course to New York from Southampton (also avoiding said iceberg).

The two vessels will cross paths at the exact site of the calamity on April 14, at 2.20am, to pay tribute to the 1,578 men, women and children who lost their lives a century earlier.

The second cruise, which is offering the all-inclusive, eight-night voyage from £4,419 per person, has been hurriedly put together due to popular demand, but the somewhat morbid idea has certainly had its detractors.

Miles Morgan, managing director of Miles Morgan Travel, has insisted the trip is designed to be ‘a commemoration not a ghoulish recreation of the original journey.’

Either way, on the anniversary you’ll find us watching the ITV mini-series from the comfort of our sofa, rather than tempting fate…